What, Where, When: 2009
The year 2009 was a magical time around the world. OS X Snow Leopard and Google Fast Flip were released. U2 kicked off their famous 360° tour, Metallica was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and we said goodbye to Michael Jackson. Kanye interrupted Taylor Swift’s speech at the MTV Awards, London’s Royal National Theatre began live broadcasts of its performances, and Anna Puu released her debut album.
In 2009, something significant was also brewing near the southeast end of Runway 2 at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Today, on 7th September 2024, we celebrate exactly 15 years since msonic, a company specializing in the import and technical sales of pro audio and professional lighting products, took off with Mikko Palomäki as pilot in command. The first offices were inaugurated in December at Kiitoradantie 11, Vantaa.
Since takeoff, msonic’s journey has been powered by talented employees, leading industry partners, other collaborators, and, of course, all of You, our valued customers!
To mark this milestone, we’re celebrating for 15 days with stories and special offers (in Finnish). So, join us on this journey every day on our website and social media!
Today, on our official 15th anniversary, we begin with a look back at our history, accompanied by the announcement of something new…
Takeoff
From the very start, msonic’s success story was built together by Mikko, his “knights” (Tero Hölttä and Petteri Partinen), and his ex-wife Mirja Palomäki. By the way, she’s the one who came up with the msonic name, saying it’s a combination of “Mikko and sound”, without the capitalisation. Speed picked up quickly, and by spring 2010, we closed our first major deals with Moving Light and Akun Tehdas rental companies.
Of the brands we represented back then, some, such as Universal Audio and Radial Engineering—both incredibly well-known and high-quality names—are still with us today. msonic has also been honored to represent top lighting brands like Chauvet, Claypaky, MDG, and Luminex from liftoff. Today, these brands are in the capable hands of Janne Engeldahl.
Kust saab usaldusväärset teenust Baltikumis?
For Estonian entertainment tech pros, the answer has been msonic ever since msonic Baltic Oü was founded on 1st October 2012. Although we had already been supplying audio and studio products to the Baltics, Mikko realized that the market could benefit from a dedicated player like msonic. The company serves clients in Latvia and Lithuania as well, providing the best tools in the industry to those who need them. msonic Baltic is also the importer and distributor of Genelec speakers in the Baltics. Our offices and demo studios are now located in Tallinn and Riga.
While he was on a roll, serial entrepreneur Mikko launched Retrosonic Pro Audio, a dealer that buys, services, and sells both new and used studio gear worldwide. (Hint, hint—yes, that’s a shameless plug!)
First Class Seat
Once again, autumn proved to be a significant time. It was 2015, and msonic secured the highly coveted Avid representation. At the same time, Ossi Männikkö, who had long and successfully worked in the sale of studio equipment and especially Avid’s Pro Tools systems in Turku, became a key part of msonic’s sales team.
New Emblems
The year 2018 kicked off with a new brand identity and a move to msonic’s current premises at Kalliosola. In the spring, we also opened our impressive new Experience Studio, where we held training events on audio, video, and lighting, as well as product demos and tests of new gear.
In early 2018, Stefan Svanfeldt’s valuable chapter as part of our story also came to a close after five years with the company. He served as product manager for Røde and handled other wholesale products like Radial, Universal Audio, and Telefunken.
In the summer of 2019, Antti Tuoriniemi joined the team as Tero’s and Reima Saarinen’s right and left-hand man on the audio side. Antti’s long and successful background in design and execution gave extra lift to the development of sales.
När går nästa flyg till Sverige?
Our expansion into Sweden began with the idea of growing Avid sales in that market. The Finnish Avid model worked brilliantly, and msonic had the prospects to shake up the Swedish market dynamics. So, msonic oy Filial Sverige was founded on 12th June 2019. Rupert Neve Designs and Genelec distribution was also wrapped in the package, and they remain our main products there to this day.
In Sweden, we serve customers in TV and radio, education, music, post-production, and gaming studios, as well as resellers. All this with the help of Marcus Bergqvist and a new powerhouse to our team (more on that later).
Marcus, originally a studio engineer specializing in orchestral recordings, previously worked in demo and support roles at Avid (back in the Digidesign days) and at another distributor, providing Avid support and sales.
Masks On and The Mad(?) Man
And then came COVID. 28.1.2020–28.2.2022. RIP. Well, at least the restrictions have been lifted. Let’s just say that turbulence wasn’t fun.
But seriously, go get vaccinated and cover your mouth when you cough! Those years were painful for msonic. It’s only a minor feat to sell theater lights and festival sound systems when there’s a ban on gatherings, everything’s shut down, and even main highways are closed. Not.
Thank goodness for our studio products and the savvy customers who kept us afloat. But we still took a few punches. A huge thanks to all our loyal theater, event, and music clients who started shopping again once the virus eased up!
Also, there was this one “neighbor” who ran off to “liberate” his brotherly nation, foam at the mouth and all. That wasn’t great either. Let’s hope that turns out like COVID did.
Storm Clouds Dead Ahead
Though not a madman, even if perhaps a bit crazy, Jyrki Mäkinen joined the msoni crew in the fall of 2020 and flew straight into the storm ready to sell his socks off. Jyrki’s extensive experience and network have been key in developing msonic’s sales and marketing.
According to Mikko, they were once a dynamic duo in the city of Pori, eager to learn about band and studio technology. In their youth, they studied practical studio techniques together, wrote a bunch of songs, and recorded demos for local artists. By the 1980s, Jyrki had entered the beloved audio business ahead of Mikko by working at Nores Oy. Jyrki is also well known from his time at Noretron Audio and Intersonic, from which he later joined msonic.
changing atmospheres
The COVID-era also meant that Reima’s notable four-year stint at msonic came to an end. By then, Antti had fortunately learned quite a lot from Reima. After all, he had, for instance, been Reima’s wingman as a noise meter technician at summer festivals even before joining msonic. Antti had also spent a couple of years building up his biceps (yes, yes, it was golf, of course!) at msonic when he stepped into the big shoes left by Tero’s departure. He took on big responsibilities when Tero left msonic. Antti hits hole-in-ones and aces his work with Adamson speakers, which we started representing in late 2021, along with other live products like Sonance, LEA, and DirectOut.
In the summer of 2022, msonic experienced another significant moment when we signed a Dolby Certified Service Partner agreement with Dolby International. As a result, msonic is now also involved in marketing, consulting, and offering support for Dolby Atmos studios in Finland and Sweden.
Lifetime Achievement
Mikko has definitely gotten used to weighing his suitcases after hundreds of trade show trips. But in 2023, something even more significant was on the scales: as a result Mikko was awarded the Avita Lifetime Achievement Award at the fall AudioVisual Expo. The award was shared with other pioneers of the audiovisual revolution. Watch Mikko’s lifetime achievement video (interview) and see the impressive list of other awardees and their videos on Avita’s website.
Far-flung destinations
2024 has been about expanding internationally. Our partnership with Avid in European and EFTA countries has grown, and we now distribute Avid products to retailers across Europe. We’re proud that, as a Finnish company, we represent one of the most well-known brands in our industry on such a significant market scale. Ossi has played a major role in this achievement.
We’re also thrilled to announce that Oskar Sadle will join msonic on 1st October 2024 to strengthen our capabilities with regard to the broader Avid partnership. Oskar will be based in our Swedish branch, focusing on technical support for Avid resellers and users across Europe. He’ll share news and updates, provide marketing materials for retailers, and train users to become even more skilled Avid experts. He has a reputation for being a most amiable chap, and he basically held the same role at Avid Europe’s Pre Sales Team for five years before joining msonic.
In-flight Entertainment
This spring, we also welcomed Toni Partti, an experienced audio professional. His role is to boost msonic’s marketing efforts, especially in Finland (he’s the one typing this text). Toni has a highly international background and originally trained as an audio engineer, mainly working on TV shows, commercials, and films. In his role, he draws on his strong expertise in the broadcast field and his experience in sales and customer relations in pro audio.’
Ground Crew
While the sales team racks up frequent flyer miles and the marketing team hunts for coffee mugs in our brand colors, msonic’s finance and logistics run smoothly thanks to a few key people. Today, Anne Kärkäs ensures that the cash flows, Kristian “Kride” Merilahti keeps the suitcases heading to the right flights, and Spider-Man Mika Sopanen spins webs to catch EVERYTHING that might fall through the cracks—not just logistics-related tasks. Come see it in action. ‘Tis true!
FLIGHT Mechanics
We also want to give a shout-out to our partner mechanics, who continuously keep the equipment we’ve sold in top flying form. Jore Eloheimo makes sure the lights shine (unless the device is supposed to create some kind of smoke-like effect), and Lari Paavilainen and Pete Knuutinen are msonic’s rock-solid certified Avid support team.
New Wings
The previous two CEOs at msonicin have been Kari Vanhalakka (during 1st January 2017 – 13th July 2018) and Uli Jetzinger (during 1st September 2018 – 1st February 2021). We are delighted to announce that we now have a new CEO, who will be charting our flight plans moving forward. Here he is to introduce himself. Captain, you have the controls.
Hello, my name is Timo Koljonen, and I started as msonic’s new CEO this September. While I’m new to the products and the industry, I’m very familiar with msonic as a company. Over the past five years, I’ve helped msonic navigate successfully through the challenges of the pandemic years.
I will do my best to support the company, every member of our team, all our partners, and, most importantly, our valuable customers in achieving their goals. I’m fortunate to have strong backing and support from our skilled and motivated msonic team, both in Finland and neighboring countries. I also trust our long-standing partners and their leading brands. With us, you’ll continue to be in good hands!
msonic has been moving forward with determination and success for 15 years, and my goal is to ensure that the next 15 years are just as positive, filled with teamwork, listening to one another, and striving for shared success.